Forget Goodbye : SasuNaru
by crossmyheart1207
Summary: Sasuke left the village without a second thought. He didn't consider the devastation and heartbreak it would cause his best friend. Would he be able to erase the pain and love Naruto like he deserved? ONESHOT. SONGFIC.


_"The one thing I wish I'd forget, the memory I want to forget, is goodbye."_

It didn't matter that it'd been years. It didn't matter that Naruto ended up successful and brought Sasuke Uchiha back to the village. It didn't matter that he was regarded as a hero and could possibly be achieving his goal of becoming Hokage soon. Nothing mattered.

Nothing except the memories that seemed to be haunting him nonstop. He couldn't sleep without a moment from his past surfacing. He would think back to when he and Sasuke first met. When they were on the same team. When they were _friends._

He'd remember their first kiss. He couldn't help but smile, despite the fact that their accidental kiss got the crap kicked out of him by every girl in the school. That moment was the start of something.

He would wake up at night, panting and on the verge of crying from his nightmares. He couldn't sleep anymore without replaying the moment when Sasuke nearly died for him. The look in Sasuke's eyes. The last words he uttered to Naruto…

_"Naruto, don't let your dream die,"_

Naruto would never forget when Sasuke admitted his dream in life. When he said that all he could be was an avenger and nothing else mattered. It was at that moment Naruto decided that Sasuke couldn't go at it alone. It was then that his new goal became to befriend the young Uchiha and to help him through his life.

Of course, this only made it harder for Naruto to bear when Sasuke left him and everyone else behind. But that was the past. He couldn't change it, no matter how hard he tried. He couldn't stop dwelling on it either. It was sort of bitter sweet to think back to when he and Sasuke were close.

I can honestly say you've been on my mind

Since I woke up today, up today

I look at your photograph all the time

These memories come back to life

And I don't mind

Naruto's blue eyes fluttered open. He blinked a few times, realizing that he was still in his apartment. He sat up slowly, ignoring the shakes in his body. He was getting used to these dreams. Sasuke haunted him night and day, dream world and real world.

With still sleepy eyes, Naruto glanced out the window. He could see the sky starting to turn reds and yellows, which meant that the sunrise was on its way. Sighing and knowing that he couldn't get back to sleep (not that he wanted to anyways), he stood from his bed and headed off to the bathroom to get ready for the day.

The whole time he got dressed and ready, Sasuke flooded his mind. Often Naruto found himself wondering what he had done wrong. Why he wasn't able to be there for Sasuke like he always tried to be. He wondered why he had to stand there that night and say goodbye to his best friend, not knowing if he'd ever come back.

I remember when we kissed

I still feel it on my lips

The time that you danced with me

With no music playing

But I remember those simple things

I remember 'til I cry

But the one thing I wish I'd forget

The memory I wanna forget

Is goodbye

As Naruto walked out of his apartment for the day, he let a heavy sigh escape his lips. He knew that he'd run into the young Uchiha today. He saw him everyday. It nearly killed Naruto every single time. The two didn't speak anymore. They used to be best friends and now they were… well, he didn't know _what_ they were.

He shut and locked the door to his apartment, turning on his heel and heading into the village. He could feel a familiar sting at the corners of his eyes. He would never give into it and actually cry, but the thought was tempting.

It broke Naruto's heart, if he was honest with himself, that Sasuke just pushed him aside like that. He… No, he couldn't say it, not even to himself. His pride (and broken heart) refused to let him admit the feelings he secretly harbored for the young raven-haired boy. He believed that they didn't exist as long as he didn't acknowledge them.

He made his way through the village, pushing the tears away from his eyes. Everyone he passed greeted him and waved to him with warm smiles on their faces. It was what he'd always wanted- to be regarded and loved by everyone in the village. So why did it feel so wrong?

He knew the answer to that. It was wrong because the one person he truly cared about, the one who made him strive to be the best he could be, the one who challenged him and - dare he say it? - _loved_ him, acted like he no longer existed.

A soft sigh escaped his lips as he saw just the person he was thinking of ahead of him. It was like things had never changed. Sasuke stood, clad in his old white shorts and high-collard shirt, surrounded by girls whom were all swooning over how amazing he was for following his dream and achieving his revenge.

For a brief moment, those onyx eyes looked down the street and met the beautiful blue eyes of Naruto. In a split second, however, Naruto glanced away.

I woke up this morning and played are song

And throwing my tears, I sang along

I picked up the phone and then put it down

'Cause I know I'm wasting my time

And I don't mind

With a slight shake of the head, Naruto turned on his heels and headed in the other direction. He'd go to different training grounds today. He didn't want to be anywhere around Sasuke at this point.

He could feel those dark eyes burning into his back but ignored them completely. The only thing he ever saw when looking into those eyes was pain. He knew that if the situation ever came, he'd be able to forgive Sasuke for abandoning him. He had come back, hadn't he? But for now, he was simply a fly on the wall of Sasuke's life. And that hurt too much to allow him to forgive his friend.

No, for now Naruto wanted to hate Sasuke like everyone else had done. When he was gone, he was the most hated person in the village. But that didn't matter to Naruto. Naruto remembered him as the boy on team 7 who simply had a dream to chase.

However, when Sasuke returned, he was beloved again. Everyone regarded him highly and acted as if he never left. But it was now that he was safely back that Naruto was finally able to resent and hate him for everything he'd done, whether he wanted to or not.

I remember when we kissed

I still feel it on my lips

The time that you danced with me

With no music playing

But I remember those simple things

I remember 'til I cry

But the one thing I wish I'd forget

The memory I wanna forget

Is goodbye

The training grounds Naruto picked for the day were further out than usual, which was precisely the reason he chose them. He couldn't hear the villagers laughing or chatting idly. Out here he was able to be in his own world. And he prayed to whatever god he believed in that he would be able to expel Sasuke from this world.

With a second sad sigh –why was he still alone, even when everyone viewed him as a hero?- Naruto made two shadow clones to fight off. He began to battle them, ducking, dodging and attacking, using the time to focus solely on getting stronger.

Unfortunately, a spectator soon came and joined the, er, three of them? Naruto paused in his movements and looked up, eyes locking with dark onyx. His clones, not paying any attention to the intruder, continue to attack. Naruto fell to the ground with a groan.

His clones halted their attack, waiting for Naruto to stand back up. His eyes remained on Sasuke for a few more moments. When Sasuke made no attempt to move further forwards or to talk, Naruto decided to ignore him. He stood to his feet once again and begins to battle with his clones.

The spar didn't last long because Naruto quickly outwitted his clones. He had gotten to the point where training was only useful to him when he had another, real, person to spar against. His clones were too simple to beat and he'd perfected any aim or genjutsu he could be working on.

"Impressive," Naruto heard Sasuke mutter.

For a brief second, Naruto considered completely ignoring his comment the way Sasuke had ignored him. However, Naruto knew he was far too nice and he knew that, much to his dismay, he still cared about Sasuke. And he relished this short moment of contact with him. He couldn't give it up, even if he thought Sasuke deserved the silent treatment.

"Thanks," His response was quiet, but he was sure Sasuke heard.

Naruto could hear Sasuke's footsteps as he finally made his way across the field to where Naruto stood. The blonde's eyes remained trained on the ground, staring at their feet which were closer together than they probably needed to be.

Suddenly my cell phone's blowing up

With your ringtone

I hesitate but answer it anyway

You sound so alone

And I'm surprised to hear you say

"Naruto, look at me,"

The command was soft, gentle. Naruto knew that Sasuke meant no harm, but he didn't want to look up. He didn't want to face Sasuke. He could feel his pain and anger dissipating just with Sasuke's close proximity. He could only imagine what would happen if he looked up into those eyes. Part of him didn't want to forgive the damn bastard for doing this to him.

With a deep breath, though, Naruto raised his head to meet Sasuke's gaze. His dark eyes were soft and a slight smile covered his lips. Naruto noticed the Konaha headband he had tied around his forehead like he used to wear years ago. As Naruto looked at him, he felt like he was looking at his old best friend, like he was looking at the boy who stole his heart without Naruto's permission.

"I hear you're going to be the next Hokage," Sasuke smiled a little bigger as he noticed the slight sparkle in Naruto's eyes.

"Yeah, that's what I've heard, too." Naruto laughed a little, scratching the back of his head.

Sasuke chuckled lightly with Naruto. Honestly, the boy hadn't changed at all, "Well I want to congratulate you. Looks like you achieved your dream after all,"

Naruto glanced away for a moment, "It looks like we _both_ achieved our dreams,"

When Naruto looked back into Sasuke's face he saw a stern, almost upset, expression covering his face. It looked like Sasuke was thinking about something that upset him, although Naruto couldn't imagine what it could be.

"Why do you avoid me around the village now?" Naruto wasn't at all surprised at how abruptly Sasuke changed the subject. It was one of the things that Sasuke had always done. He wasn't one for subtlety or beating around the bush.

"Eh-heh-heh," Naruto tucked his hands into his pockets and began to draw circles on the ground with his toes, "I don't know what you mean."

The stern look Sasuke gave Naruto next caused the Kitsune to sigh and actually answer the question; "It's… hard to be around you now, Sasuke."

The Uchiha furrowed his brows. Ever since he had returned to the village, he was more open about his feelings. He no longer had so much hatred and desire to be alone. His emotions were a lot more visible, and it pleased Naruto, although he'd never admit that.

"Why is that?"

"You left the village, Sasuke. You left _me._" Naruto tried not to choke and stumble over his words, "You betrayed me when all I ever tried to do was be there for you. And then you came back and acted like none of it happened and went right back to ignoring me like you always had."

Naruto's breath came in short, shaky bursts. He wasn't ready to tell Sasuke how he felt, but he'd already started, why not finish? "When I look at you, all I see is your back retreating out the gates. All I see is _goodbye._"

You remember when we kissed

You still feel it on your lips

The time that you danced with me

With no music playing

Sasuke stared silently at Naruto for a moment. He never knew that he'd hurt Naruto so bad. He never would've left if he had known. He thought he was the only one who felt the pain of their separation. He thought that he was the only one who…

Sasuke shook his head, willing himself to speak his thoughts, "Naruto, you will never know how hard it was for me to leave. You nearly had me convinced to stay just by showing up. The only reason I came back is _you._ I wasn't ready to say goodbye to you. Not for good."

That familiar sting of tears hit Naruto and this time he wasn't sure he'd be able to stop them. He looked into Sasuke's emotional eyes and hard a hard time denying that Sasuke meant every word.

"I look for you, every day. But every time I find you, you either leave or I'm attacked by those damn fangirls. Naruto, I've been trying to apologize to you since the moment I stepped foot inside those gates" he gestured over his shoulder to where Naruto could faintly see the tips of the tall gates, "And now that I have my chance, I have to say it. Naruto, I'm sorry. I didn't think it would be hard for you. It killed me on a daily basis. I don't ever want to say goodbye to you again."

The tears leaked out from Naruto's eyes as Sasuke spoke. He couldn't fight them, but he didn't want to. Naruto, without thinking, lunged forward and wrapped his arms around Sasuke. Without any sort of hesitation, Sasuke returned the hug.

"Can we pretend you never said goodbye in the first place?" Naruto whispered into the collar of Sasuke's shirt.

A faint smile covered Sasuke's lips, "Yes. That's the one thing I want you to forget, Naruto. Forget I ever said goodbye, because I didn't want to."

They pulled away from each other, Naruto still crying. He sheepishly raised his arm to wipe the tears off his cheeks before looking up at Sasuke. As soon as their eyes locked again, Sasuke leaned forward and captured Naruto's lips in the softest, most loving kiss possible.

They pulled apart shortly after and Sasuke looked down at the blonde. Naruto smiled up at him, daring to say the words he refused to even say to himself, "I love you, Sasuke. I always have."

"I love you, too, Naruto," Sasuke ran a hand through Naruto's blonde hair before trailing it down his shoulder and arm. He gently held Naruto's hand and finished his thought, "And I promise I'll never say goodbye to you again."

You remember the simple things

We talked 'til we cried

You said that your biggest regret

The one thing you wish I'd forget

Is saying goodbye, saying goodbye

Ooh, goodbye

**A/N: This is based off of Miley Cyrus' song "GoodBye". I'm not a big fan of her, but I stumbled upon this song and just got caught up in it!**

**This is my favorite story I've ever written. Comments are greatly appreciated. I'm all emotional over this. It's like an outlet for me! So this one means tons to me. I hope you guys enjoy it as much as I do!**

**Naruto and Sasuke belong to Kishimoto.**

**The Lyrics to Goodbye belong to Miley Cyrus.**

**Plot belongs to me, though! :D**


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